Chelsea to sign Brazilian starlet Piazon

15 March 2011 11:30

Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal to sign Sao Paulo starlet Lucas Piazon when he turns 18.

Press Association Sport understands the Blues are poised to beat off competition from Juventus for the 17-year-old, who is currently playing for Brazil in the South American Under-17 Championship.

Dubbed 'the new Kaka' by some commentators, Piazon was first linked with a move to Chelsea two years ago.

He was also courted by Juve, who appeared to have won the race for the teenager two months ago after he spent a week training with the Italian giants.

That sparked erroneous reports he would join them in January next year.

Instead, he is set to move to Stamford Bridge in line with FIFA laws after Sao Paulo agreed to sell him to the Barclays Premier League champions.

The fee is unclear but reports suggest it could be anywhere from £5million to £8million.

Piazon's signing would reaffirm Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's commitment to bringing more young players to the club in addition to splashing out on the likes of Fernando Torres and David Luiz when necessary.